ANTARA NEWS



 

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has urged human resources (HR) and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from Indonesia to enter the Japanese market.

"MSMEs in Indonesia had become the backbone of Indonesia's economy during the pandemic. We can rely on MSMEs," Amin said during a visit to the Indonesian embassy in Tokyo, Japan, on Monday.

He delivered the remarks while attending an invitation for a dialogue with Indonesian citizens in Japan and a lunch hosted by the Indonesian Ambassador to Japan, Heri Akhmadi, and Mrs. Nuning Wahyuniati.

The Vice President noted that an MSME center has been set up in Tokyo for Indonesian citizens through a collaboration between the Indonesian embassy and the offices of Indonesian banks and state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

"To comply with export standards, each product must be curated. This is also a kind of effort to revitalize the regional economy to become a model for developing MSMEs. There is an exhibition at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) with export standard," Amin remarked.

While speaking on the development and protection of Indonesian human resources in Japan, Amin noted that there were at least 30 thousand Indonesian apprentices and workers in Japan.

"Indonesia is ready to meet the needs of skilled workers in the Japanese industry. We also encourage the opening of Indonesian workers in various new fields such as tourism, therefore we want to encourage them to be given opportunities," Amin disclosed.

In addition, the government will ask for additional scholarship slots for Indonesian students from the Japanese government.

"So that our human resources are more competitive than workers from other countries. We will convey this to Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, including scholarships for encouraging human resource development," Amin said.

The key to the success and prosperity of a nation is its human resources, both at home and abroad, he added.

"The government is now strengthening the management of educational institutions, especially for those who study abroad for masters or doctoral degrees at qualified universities. This is one of the government's commitments to prepare superior human resources who can compete globally," he said.

According to Ambassador Akhmadi, as of December 2021, the total number of Indonesian citizens in Japan had reached 59,820, consisting of permanent residents, temporary residents, apprentices, students, wives/husbands of Japanese citizens, and those granted visas for certain activities and others.

The Indonesian nationals were dominated by apprentices (25,007), followed by permanent residents holding residence permits (7,077 people), and special skilled workers(5,855).